Neighborhood Comfort With a Decent Pour
Ooltewah · Chattanooga · Southern Coastal (Seafood, Steaks, Southern Sides) · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 14, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at 1885 Grill reads like a greatest hits of American casual dining — Caymus, Josh Cellars, Kendall-Jackson, and Meiomi all accounted for. It's not trying to be a wine destination, and it doesn't pretend to be. What you get is a list built to keep the table happy, not to challenge anyone.
California dominates here, with red blends and Cabernet doing the heavy lifting — Caymus 2020, Black Stallion Limited Release, Cooper & Thief's bourbon barrel-aged blend, and Meiomi Red all make appearances. There are some welcome detours: Trapiche Broquel Malbec from Argentina, Dr. L Riesling from Germany, The Crossings Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, and La Vieille Ferme Rosé from France add some international texture without getting adventurous. Italy shows up via Pinot Grigio, Moscato, and a trio of Prosecco options. The gaps are real — no Burgundy, no Rhône, no serious whites to speak of — but for a neighborhood Southern grill in Ooltewah, the spread is functional and approachable.
Around 18 pours by the glass is genuinely impressive for a suburban Tennessee grill, and the $6–$14 range keeps entry points low. The problem is that value-per-dollar gets shaky fast once you climb that ladder — Wycliff Brut clocks in at $6.25 a glass off a bottle that retails under six bucks, which is a rough markup. Stick to the mid-tier pours where you're at least getting something interesting, not just paying a premium on grocery store bubbles.
Trapiche Broquel Malbec — $10/glass (est.)
Broquel is one of the more legit bottles on this list — a producer that actually over-delivers at its price point. On a list leaning hard into California crowd-pleasers, this Argentine Malbec is the one pick that feels like the kitchen actually thought about it. Dark fruit, structure, and enough grip to handle anything off the grill.
Dr. L Riesling
Most people at a Southern grill are reaching for Cabernet or a red blend, which means the Dr. L Riesling from Germany's Mosel gets completely overlooked. That's a mistake. It's off-dry, high-acid, and genuinely food-friendly — especially against anything with a little heat or sweetness on the plate. It's the most interesting white option on the list and probably the most ignored.
Wycliff Brut California NV
A $6 retail bottle hitting $6.25 or more per glass is one of the steeper glass-pour markups on this list. You're paying restaurant math on something that costs less than a gas station bottle — at that point, just order a cocktail and save yourself the disappointment.
La Vieille Ferme Rosé + Shrimp and Grits
La Vieille Ferme is a Rhône-adjacent Provençal rosé — dry, strawberry-forward, with just enough acidity to cut through the richness of creamy shrimp and grits without steamrolling the dish. It's the kind of pairing that works without anyone in the room needing to know anything about wine.
✔️ The Bottom Line
1885 Grill is a solid neighborhood spot where the wine list does its job without doing much more. The selection is approachable, the BTG count is surprisingly high, but watch the markups on the low end — some of those glass pours are doing a lot of work for the house.
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Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
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Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
St. Elmo · Chattanooga · Southern and Coastal
1885 Grill St. Elmo isn't a wine destination, but it doesn't need to be — it's a reliable neighborhood spot with fair prices, a comfortable patio, and a list that won't embarrass anyone. Send a friend here for dinner and tell them to order the Trapiche; don't send them here to geek out on wine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Northshore · Chattanooga · Portuguese and Mediterranean
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Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lookout Valley · Chattanooga · Winery
DeBarge is the Wild Card Chattanooga deserves — a real working winery in the city's backyard, making honest wine at honest prices, staffed by people who actually care what's in the glass. If you want a Napa blockbuster, go somewhere else; if you want to drink something made twenty minutes from where you're sitting, this is your stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
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Set & Forget
Proper
Chattanooga · Chattanooga · Spanish / Tapas
Paloma is a genuine surprise for Chattanooga — a rooftop bar that actually committed to an Iberian wine program instead of defaulting to a lazy domestic list. It's not a deep cellar, but it's exactly the right list for the room.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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